Revolving acrobatic figure toy



April 5, 1966 J. M. soRcx ETAL 3,243,915

REVOLVING ACROBATIG FIGURE TOY Filed Sept. 24, 1964 IIIIIIA J SEP EARL O. .SLYl/ESTER BYDAN/EL 7` SLYVESTEP A TTO/PNEY United States Patent O 3,243,915 REVOLVING ACRBATIC FIGURE TOY Joseph M. Sorel, 1501 Pomona Ave.; Earl 0. Sylvester,

1241 Sherman St.; and Daniel D. Sylvester, 1235 Sherman St., all of San Jose, Calif.

Filed Sept. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 399,048 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-133) This invention relates to the improvement in the manipulation of revolving acrobatic figure toys.

The primary object of the invention is providing acrobatic figure toys with a true pistol grip trigger manipulation which is positive and which is `so confined and directed that it does not get out of order and in which the number of parts is materially reduced and the entire device is simplified both for manufacture and manipulation of the toy.

We are aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the lscope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence we do not limit our invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do we confine ourselves to the exact details of the construction of the Isaid parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toy.

FIG. 2 is a fragmental side View of the toy with onehalf of the grip body removed so as to expose the manipulating mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a perspective detail view on an enlarged scale of the cam end of the spindle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view of the toy the section being taken on lines 4 4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the toy the section being taken on lines 5-5 of FIG. 2.

In general this figure toy has a body 1 generally in the shape of a pistol, which has a head 2 and a grip 3. In the herein form, this body 1 is made of two superimposed symmetrical halves. Each half has a flat side 4 which forms one outer face of the body. Flanges 6 extend from all the edges of the entire contour of the at side 4 at right angles so that the anges 6 complement each other when assembled. The flanges 6 have spaced bosses 7 formed thereon so as to extend inwardly of the space defined by the anges 6. Suitable dowels 8 are extending into holes 9 in the aligned bosses 7 of the respective halves of the body 1 and preferably suitable adhesive is provided along the meeting edges 11 of the flanges 6 and around the dowels 8 for uniting the halves together.

The head 2 has a bearing hole 13 formed in its end 14 by complemental half bearings in the flanges 6 of the respective halves of the body 1.

Inside of each hollow half is provided a rib 16 each of which extends from the top of the head downwardly into the handle portion. Each rib 16 has a half-bearing 15 formed in registry with the half-bearing 13. Each rib 16 also has a half-bearing 17 formed in its end inside the handle portion 3 spaced from the head 2. Another half-bearing 18 is formed in the flanges 6 adjacent to and in registry with the half-bearing 17 to accommodate the trigger to be hereinafter described.

In the registering bearings 13 and 1S is journalled a spindle 21 which extends beyond and outside of the bear- Cil ice

ing 13 and end 14. On the extended or projected portion of the spindle 21 is suitably suspended a frame 22 on which is rotatably suspended an articulated figure 23.

On the inside end of the spindle 21 are formed a pair of spaced collars 24 to prevent longitudinal movement of the spindle 21 relatively to the bearing 15, being that the collars 24 are on the opposite sides of the ribs 16.

On the collar 24, beyond the ribs 16, is formed'an eccentric head 26 with an eccentric anchor pin 27 which latter in the initial position of the acrobatic figure shown in FIG. 1 is generally above the axis of the spindle 21. A exible line 28 is tied in an anchor groove 29 on the eccentric pin 27. At its other end the line 28, preferably made of nylon cord, is anchored on the inner end of a trigger 31. For this purpose the inner end of the trigger 31 is provided with a button 32, with a groove 33 at the base of the button, in which groove 33 the lower end of the line 28 is anchored. The trigger 31 is of rectangular cross-sectional shape and the bearings 17 and 18 are also of rectangular shape so as to form spaced guides for the reciprocation of the trigger 31. The trigger has a linger piece 34 on its outer end to be suitably engaged by a finger of the hand which grips on the handle in a pistol grip fashion.

A pin 36 extends transversely from one side 4 to the other side 4 of the halves of the body near the trigger 31 but on the `side of the trigger toward the spindle. Thus as the trigger 31 is pushed inwardly of the grip handle 3, the line 28 is pulled around the pin 36 and thus the horizontal reciprocation of the trigger 31 is converted into a vertical pull on the line 28 and on the eccentric pin 27 for correspondingly `oscillating the spindle 21.

In order to assure the ecentric pull by the line 2S, a cam 37 is provided on the face of the eccentric cam 26. This cam 37 is generally conical with its portion adjacent to the pin 27 cut off as shown in FIG. 5. Thus the line 28 extends over one side or edge of the cut off portion of the conical cam 37 and thereby directs an olf-center pull for the oscillation.

The construction of the toy is simple. The manipulating parts are assembled in one-half of the body 1 and then the other half of the body is super-imposed and secured in place and the toy is ready for manipulation. The toy is gripped in a pistol grip fashion and the trigger is pushed in to turn the spindle 21 and rotate the articulated figure 23. When the trigger 31 is released the weight of the gure and the frame returns the trigger to its initial position.

We claim:

1. In a revolving acrobatic iiguretoy (a) a hollow body formed in the shape of a pistol,

(b) a handle grip in the shape of a pistol grip forming part of said body,

(c) a head extended from the top of the pistol grip generally at right angles,

(d) a spindle journalled in the head generally parallel with the axis of the head and at right angles to the pistol grip,

(e) an articulated figure suspended on said spindle so as to normally hang parallel with and spaced from the pistol grip,

(f) a trigger reciprocable in said pistol grip parallel with and spaced from said head and said spindle,

(g) a cam on the end of said spindle inside Said head being generally above the inner end of said trigger,

(h) a iiexible line having one end anchored eccentrically on said cam and its other end anchored on said trigger so as to be pushed inwardly of the pistol grip by said trigger,

(i) a guide abutment in the pistol grip between said cam and said trigger engaged by said line whereby the pushing of the trigger inwardly of the pistol grip exerts an yeccentric force on said cam to rock said spindle 'and upon release of said trigger the leverage exerted by said articulated figure on said spindle returns said spindle and said cam to an initial position and imparts a pull on said line for returning the trigger to it-s initial position,

(j)y said cam having a partially conical central projectionand the anchored end of said line being on the side of said projection farthest from said trigger whereby said line is guided by said projection to exert said eccentric turning force.

l- Y2. The invention defined in claim 1 and (k) said pistol Ygrip and said head being integral and .being made of superimposed hollow sections securedl together,

l- A(l) ribs in the opposite hollow sections projecting in- Wardly so that the ribs complement each other into an interior bearing Wall extending from said pistol grip into said head,

(m) said spindle being journalled intsai'd bearing wall,

336,923 -3/1886 Kjenardt 46-133 2,426,675 9/ 1947 Ercolani 46-133 2,917,866 12/1959 Ullmann 46-192 FOREIGN PATENTS 989,773 5/l95l France.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examine-r.

LOUIS I. BOVASSO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A REVOLVING ACROBATIC FIGURE TOY (A) A HOLLOW BODY FORMED IN THE SHAPE OF A PISTOL, (B) A HANDLE GRIP IN THE SHAPE OF A PISTOL GRIP FORMING PART OF SAID BODY, (C) A HEAD EXTENDED FROM THE TOP OF THE PISTOL GRIP GENERALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES, (D) A SPINDLE JOURNALLED IN THE HEAD GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF THE HEAD AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PISTOL GRIP, (E) AN ARTICULATED FIGURE SUSPENDED ON SAID SPINDLE SO AS TO NORMALLY HANG PARALLEL WITH AND SPACED FROM THE PISTOL GRIP, (F) A TRIGGER RECIPROCABLE IN SAID PISTOL GRIP PARALLEL WITH AND SPACED FROM SAID HEAD AND SAID SPINDLE, (G) A CAM ON THE END OF SAID SPINDLE INSIDE SAID HEAD BEING GENERALLY ABOVE THE INNER END OF SAID TRIGGER, (H) A FLEXIBLE LINE HAVING ONE END ANCHORED ECCENTRICALLY ON SAID CAM AND ITS OTHER END ANCHORED ON SAID TRIGGER SO AS TO BE PUSHED INWARDLY OF THE PISTOL GRIP BY SAID TRIGGER, (I) A GUIDE ABUTMENT IN THE PISTOL GRIP BETWEEN SAID CAM AND SAID TRIGGER ENGAGED BY SAID LINE WHEREBY THE PUSHING OF THE TRIGGER INWARDLY OF THE PISTOL GRIP EXERTS AN ECCENTRIC FORCE ON SAID CAM TO ROCK SAID SPINDLE AND UPON RELEASE OF SAID TRIGGER THE LEVERAGE EXERTED BY SAID ARTICULATED FIGURE ON SAID SPINDLE RETURNS SAID SPINDLE AND SAID CAM TO AN INITIAL POSITION AND IMPARTS A PULL ON SAID LINE FOR RETURNING THE TRIGGER TO ITS INITIAL POSITION, (J) SAID CAM HAVING A PARTIALLY CONICAL CENTRAL PROJECTION AND THE ANCHORED END OF SAID LINE BEING ON THE SIDE OF SAID PROJECTION FARTHEST FROM SAID TRIGGER WHEREBY SAID LINE IS GUIDED BY SAID PROJECTION TO EXERT SAID ECCENTRIC TURNING FORCE. 